Elevator



].-M. WHALBE.

' ELEVATOR. I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, I92!- I 1,417,873. Patented May 30, 1922. v 52 SHEETS-SHEET I.

35 (Z583 45 g, a3 a 51 :9 H 0:: w

. s k9 as V////////////%///%///////////////A B3 I I nve/wtoz J. M. WHALBE.

ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 12, 192i.

Patented May 30, 192-2.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES JACOB IVL VfI-IALBE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed February 12, 1921. Serial No. 444,475.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Janos M. VVHALBE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elevators, and my improvements are directed to novel means for causing the shaft doors to become automatically locked in their closing operation, also to means actuated by the shaft door locking means for locking the car gates in the act of closing the latter; together with means for holding the locking means for both shaft doors and car gate engaged during the whole period that the power for actuating the elevator is being applied. Also my invention comprises means, under the control of the operator, for releasing the lock which engages a shaft door, and also for releasing the lock for the car gate, at those times only when the car has reached a point in its travel where its floor is about on a level plane with the building floor, for the taking on and discharge of passengers, the releasing mechanism for the respective locks then only being capable of actuation while the car driving power is off, its control means at neutral. and control locking means have been applied.

Ather features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings Figure l. is a front elevation of a car equipped with my improved safety locking and lock releasing means for elevator shaft doors and the car gate.

Figure 2 is a top plan detail view of the plunger operated levers which comprise a part of the lock releasing mechanism.

Fig. 3 is an elevation. on an enlarged scale, of that portion of the locking mechanism located at the interior surface of the shaft front wall, viewed from the interior.

Fig. i is an enlarged section taken on the line l l of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing the lower portion of a collapsible gate, with locking means therefor.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Figure 6, also showing the two-part character of the control locking means.

F 8 is a front elevation of a car having a cable control and locking means therefor? F 1g. 9 1S a front elevation of opposed doors which open vertically, such as are used for freight purposes, with my improved door locking means adapted thereto.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail view of a modified form of lock mechanism.

Fig. 11 is a similar view of a still further modified form of lock mechanism.

Fig. 12 is a section on the line 1212 of Figure 8.

Fig. 18 is a Figure 6, and L Fig. 14 is a detail view showing means 101 rendering the control lock inoperative.

In the example of my invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 let 1 indicate the usual shaft or well in a building in which an elevator car is to operate, and let 2 indicate a car, which is operable by any desired power means; manual power control means, as 3, being representative of a control switch or control handle f suitable character.

The shaft doors, as that indicated at 4, which are mounted to guard the openings that commui'iicate with the car at the several landings, are each provided with a fixed latch or detent, 5, that projects above the door top, and comprises part of the door locking means. Latch engaging means, compris' theother part of the lock, are mounted in the shaft and located at a point just above the top of door 4. I have shown a section on the line 13-13 of mount for the engaging means in the formof plate 6, carrying an arm '4, pivoted at 8, and having an upper socket portion 9, which engages arm 10 of a bell-crank-lever that is pivoted at 11 to plate 6. The arm 7 is provided with one or more depending teeth 12 at its lower surfacasaid teeth having rearwardly inclined edges to permit the latch 5 to pass slidablv thereunder in the closing movement of door and have the vertical forward faces 13 for one of said teeth to engage said latch 5 as the arm 7 falls by gravity thereon, to thus lock and hold the door closed.

ii leans, dislodgeable by the detent 5 in the door closing operation, are provided for holding the arm 7 raised suiiiciently for the latch 5 to clear the teeth 12 while the door is moving from the closed to the open position, said means also serving other important functions which with their instrumentalities will be hereinafter described. Said the latter elevated. As

arm holding means consists of a pendent pawl 14, pivoted at 15 to plate 6, and having a hook portion. 16 that engages under the forward end 17 of arm 7 when said pawl hangs plumb, thereby holding arm 7 in its aforesaid elevated pOsition. The latch 5, however, in the closing movement of the door will, in passing under arm 7, strike against pawl 14, thereby releasing hook 16 from said arm, so that the latter will fall and cause one of its teeth 12 to engage the latch, thus locking the door as closed. As means for releasing the look engagement just described, the bell-crank-lever whose arm 10 engages socket portion 9 of arm 7 is rocked by means that co-act with the other arm 18 of said lever, thereby releasing the engagement between a tooth 12 and latch 5, while permitting the pawl 14: to swing back into its plumb position with its hook 16 engaging the end of arm 7, to hold means whereby the bell-crank-lever is actuable, its arm 18 is provided with a stud 20.

The elements recited as mounted on plate 6 may be enclosed by a cover 21 fitting over plate 6, leaving a base opening or the passage of latch 5, and said cover having slot 22 through which the stud 20 may project for purposes of actuation.

Horizontally slidable in guides 23, that are mounted on the upper, front exterior of the car 2, is a plate 24-, to which is attached a shoe 25, consisting of a vertical channellike member, having flared upper and lower ends, said shoe being so disposed that its channel is in alignment with the series of studs 20 which comprise elements of the locking devices in the shaft "for superposed floors of a building, whereby said shoe will pass embracingly over the studs included in its line of travel, and whereby, when the elevator halts at a floor where persons are to alight or be taken on, the shoe will rest with the walls of its channel flanking the stud belonging to the locking mechanism for the door of that floor. The plate 24L is operable by the arm 26 of a bell-crank-lever, that is -fulcrumed at 27, and whose other arm 28 is engaged by a rod 29 that extends through the elevator to a point below the floor thereof. The pivotal arrangement is such that an upward movement of rod 29, communicated through the bell-crank-lever having arms 28, 26, gives a sliding movement to plate 2st, and causes shoe 25 to shift stud 20, which movement effects the rocking of the lever composed of arms 18, 10 that lifts arm 7 and thus releases latch 5.

The means whereby rod 29 is raised comprises a horizontal lever 30, pivoted on shaft 31 in a hanger 32 depending from the base of the car, said lever 30 engaging the lower end of rod 29. Said lever 30 also engages by a spring 33 with one end of a link 84,

lai /s73 whose other end is pivoted on a shaft 35 in a hanger 36, which is secured to the car base. A plunger 37 is passed through the floor of the car, having a head portion 38 to be pressed down by the operators foot, said )lungcr engaging the link 34:, whereby the cownward movement of the plunger is communicated through said link to the spring, whose tensional pull upon lever 30 rocks the latter and causes it to raise rod 29. Another lever 39 is mounted on shaft 31 bein rockable through the spring 33, that is also engaged by the link 84L so that the movement of plunger 37 is also communicated to lever 89. A bifurcated member 40 engages lever 39 by a pin 40 and has a shank portion 40 which is loosely entered in a tube 411 that extends vertically through the car floor, said tube 41 having a terminal portion 42 (that maybe a snugly fitting rod section) which is adapted to engage with a slot 44 provided in the control means 3, at the portion thereof which is directed downwardly when said control is moved to the neutral position. Therefore, by engagement of rod section d2 with slot 44 the control is locked against operation, and since the door lock cannot be released without, looking the control, it is apparent that the car must have come to rest, at a floor, before the door can be opened.

While the shoe 25 is adjusted, as stated, to lie in a vertical line which will permit it, as the car moves up and down, to fiankingly pass the series of studs 20 as the latter are held by their arms 10 in the normal, door engaging position of the lock mechanism, 1 have as stated provided that the walls oi the shoe ends are outwardly flared to allow of deviations in the aligned relation between the studs and shoe, and to guide the shoe over the studs. For this purpose, also, the engagement between the shoe carrying, slidable plate 2d and the lever arm 26 is of a yielding character, so as to afford a degree of lateral play for the shoe without thereby affecting the connecting elements.

There fore a link 45 is pivoted at $6 to lever arm 26, said link having a rod extension l? which passes slidably tl'irough an aperture therefor in a flanged portion 48 of slide 2.4 and has a terminal nut a9. Also rod 457 has a collar 50 at an intermediate point in its length, and a coiled spring 5i lies between collar 50 and flange 4:8, to constitute a cushion or shock 1'20 absorber. Y

The spring which communicates the movement of plunger 37 to levers 30 and 39 serves to cushion the operation of their associated parts. This cushioning or yielding transmission is of special importance in the case of member 41 with its end portion 42 that engages the slot 4.- lin control device '3; for, it the plunger should. be depressed (as by the operator accidentally stepping on head 38) at a time when the control lever is swung away from its neutral position, then the portion 4-2 of member ll will be only spring urged against the movable control device, which will not have applied thereto the trictional braking ttorce such as might be exerted through :toot power unyieldingly transmitted thereto.

The car gate, indicated at 52 in Fig. 6, which is usually of the lazy-tongs variety, is also provided with means for locking it when closed, and has lock releasing means, operable only when the car is at a landing, to permit ot its then being opened.

These car gate locking and lock releasing means are inter-related with the locking means and lock releasing means for the shaft doors, to co-act therewith.

in this connection it is to be appreciated that both the car gate and the shaft doors are to remain closed, and locked against opening, at all times while the car is under operation, the loci; releasing means tor the gate and a door interacting, and being actuable by the operation o't plunger 37 only at those times when the car has been brought to rest at a landing. It will further be shown that while the control device, which becomes locked through the act of releasing the door and gate locks, does not become released through the removal of pressure upon the plunger head but stays locked, thus positivel preventing the operation of the car, until both the shaft door and tie car gate have been again closed and locked, at which time the control lock becomes automatically released and the control is tree for operation.

The gate locking means consists of a rod 53, revolubly mounted in hearings on car 2, and having a spline or leather 5-l extended along the major part otitslength. The gate 52 has a plate secured to the lower end oi its torward post said plate having an orifice it? for the reception of rod 5?), and also a slot 58 that extends from said. orifice tor the reception oi spline 54:. The rod 53 is ri idly engaged bv a link 59. whose free end is provided with a slot 60, that engages a stud 61, carried by an arm 62, which extends from a collar 63. that is mounted on tube 41. 'lhere'tore, when the lever 35) is rocked to raise tube ll under the impulse given by plunger 3i, rod is thereby also rocked through the pin and slot connection between arm 62 and link having the effect oi turning spline into alignment with slot and thus permittiinr gate 56 to be opened. The (meration oi llltlll r 37 has, it will be recalled, also caused locking arm 7 to have been released from its engagement with door latch so that door i can be opened and pawl 14 eng ge arm 3 to hold it elevated. lVhile thus held also plate 24 keeps the mem-- bers 29 and all elevated, but spline 5%, in

its engaged position with slot 58, also serves to hold member tl elevated with the end portion i2 thereof locking the control 3; so that, even when the shaftdoor has been closed, preparatory to starting up the car, the control can not be operated until the car gate has also been closed and the spline freed from engagement by slot 58; whereupon the weight oi member all permits it totall releasing the control, and rocking rod 53 to a point where spline 54 is out of alignment with slot 58, so that the gate is thereby locked in its closed position.

T he bipart character (parts 40 and ll) of the control locking means, is necessary to permit the part it) to leave the part 4:]. when the operator closes the shaftdoor (which causes the release of arm 7 from pawl 16) because the part -ill will still be held in its control locking position, (by reason of the eng ement ot' spline 5a with slot 58) while the car gate remains open, notwithstanding the shattdoor may have been closed and locked.

In case a car should be left (unoccupied) at a landing with the shaft door closed and locked, I provide emergency means where by the lock may be released from the outside. These means comprise a pivotal membcr 6i that hangs plumb within the upper end of shoe 25. and is operable by means of a flexible connector 65, that may pass over a pulley 66 and out through the front wall of the shaft for manipulation. By drawing upon this connectorthe member G l: can be swung against the shoe, causing it to rock the arm 7 and thus to release the lock in the .manner already made known.

In Fig. 10 l have shown a modified form of mechanism for co-operating with the door latch 5, comprising a lever 6'? (instead of the arm '7) pivoted at 68., and having an angularlv arranged arm 69 which carries the stud 20 that to co-a-ct with shoe 25. The range of vertical movement for lever 67 is limiter in both directions lJ a slot 70 therein th t works over a pin 71 which is borne by tl plate 6; said lever 67 also bearing teeth 72 that correspond in their functions with the teeth 12.

Or corresponding mechanism may be employed Fig. ll) conuiu'ising a member Til that is vertically slidable in guides 7%, it havii engaging teeth and a shank 76 termjmnin in a head 77 that is guided and limited as to its degree oi vertical movement b i bracket bell-cranlc-lever. pivoted T9 to plate 6 has arm 80 that en ga -es shank 76, to accord vertical movement to member and arm 81 that carries stud 2O tor cooperation with shoe 25.

in l will be seen an example ot my invention as applied to elevators employing a cable as the power control means. I

In this view the same means are shown for rear, weighted portion ing doors and the gate;

&

releasing the locking means for the shaft door as previously described, but special control locking means are provided. .Thus, there is mounted within the car a tubular device 82, with flared ends, which surrounds the cable 83, and means are included in device 82 capable of arresting relative motion between the car and cable, thereby constituting a control lock. To this end the cable is equipped with a series of pairs of buttons 8 1, in spaced relation and so located that a pair may be within tube 82 at the time when the car floor is on a level with a shaft landing. Located within a groove 85 in tube 82 is a pair of pivotal jaws 86, held separated by a spring 87, and with rearward extensions 88 that are spreadable to contract jaws 86, whereby they will. close upon the cable and thus lie in the path of buttons Set, to lock the car against movement. A pointed staff 89, carried by the lever 39, is caused to enter between extensions 88 to spread them and contract jaws 86 when the plunger 37 is depressed.

lVhen my improved locking and lock releasing means are applied to opposed, vertically operating doors, such as those used with freight elevators (see Fig. 9), a latch 90 is extended laterally from an upper door 91, with which latter the lower door 92 is connected by cord 93, passed over a pulley 91; whereby the doors are caused to move oppositely. A look member 95, slidable in guides 96, is engaged by pin and slot means with a member 97 that is pivoted at 9? and has a 98 to urge it normally into a locking position with respect to latch 90. Also a lower pawl 99, pivoted at 100 to plate 6, has a weighted pawl 101 which urges it upwardly against latch 90. The member 97 carries a stud 20 which is intended to lie in the path of shoe 25, to be actuated for lock release in the manner previously described, the stud 20 moving to the left for this purpose. Then as the doors 91, 92 open, the lock portion 95, having been moved to the right, and the pawl 99 having been released by latch 90, the weight 101 will swing pawl 99 into engagemeit with tooth 103 of member 95, to thus, through stud 20, hold the engaged shoe 25 and its associated elements in retracted positions, thereby also holding the control device (not shown in Fig. 9) looked as in the other examples of my invention. 0

In case of emergency requiring the operator to be able to use the control notwithstanding both the door and gate, or the gate alone, may be open, as for instance if there should be a fire in the building and it was necessary to operate quickly without loss of time such as would be occasioned in operator for use while repairs are under way, I provide means whereby the operator may release the control lock door, a lockingelement on the respectively gate.

F or this purpose vided with a hinge enabling its upper portion to to clear the control device, so that the operation of the lock releasing mechanism whereby the doors 4: may be opened, and the rocked'position of rod 53, with the gate 52 open, will not then cause the end 42 of member 41 to have engagement with slot 1 1 to lock the control.

Under this hinged or ointed condition of member 41 it is held in alignment for opera tiveemployment as a look by lower guide 105,'and upper guide 106, said guide 10.6 comprising a bar that extends engageably across the upper, hinged portion of member ll to hold it normally vertical, but said bar being releasable to permit the hinged portion of member ll to be swung to one side.

As shown, the bar 106 rests in straps 107, and may be locked in its operative position by a headed pin 108, loosely engaging bar 106, and connecting with a fixed knee piece 109, to which it may be secured in any well known manner, the securing device 110 shown being representative of either a lock or a seal.

By breaking the seal the pin 108 can be released and then the bar 106 can be withdrawn, thus permitting the upper portion of member 41 to be swung aside out of operative alignment with slot 4 1.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended herein.

1. A locking and lock releasing system for the doors of elevator shaft landings and the car gate, comprising a latch on each door, a locking element on the shaft for each door to co-operate with said latch, a locking element on said car, a lock engaging element on the member ellis pro- (see Fig. 14L) as at 10 1, be swung as de said gate, the locking elements for said door and gate being operable respectively when said door and gate are closed, and means operable within the car to release the locking elements for both said door and gate when the car rests at a shaftlanding.

2. The combination with an elevator shaft having landings, with doors therefor, and a car operable in saidshaft, said car having control means and a gate, of a latch on each shaft, for each door, to co-operate with said latch, a locking element on said car, a lock engaging element on said gate, the locking elements for said door and gate being operable respectively when said door and gate are closed, locking means for said control means, release means for said door and gate locking elements, and means operable within the car tov actuate the release means for both said door and gatelocking elements, said release without closing either the door or the means also ser ing to actuate said control locking means, rendering it effective until both said door and gate are closed.

3. The combination in an elevator system including a shaft with .andings and a car operable within said. shaft, 01 a movable lock member mounted on said shaft, a shaft door, a lock element fixed on said door, said fixed lock element adapted to engage said movable lock element in the closing of said door, to hold it closed, means operable within the car to release the lock element. thereby unlocking the door, a car control device. locking means for said control device operable when the car is at rest at a landing, means actuated by said movable lock member to apply said control locking means, and gravity means to engage said movable lock member and hold 't in the position at which it causes the application of said control locking means while the shaftdoor remains open.

1-. The combination with an elevator, in eluding a shaft having landings, a door for each landing, a car operable in said shaft, a gate for said car, and a control for said car, of means to lock said door when closed, means to lock said gate when closed, locking means for said control, means for the release of the locking means respectively for said door and gate, and means operable by said release means to apply said control look ing means.

' 5. The combination with an elevator, including a shaft having landings, a door for each landing, a car operable in said shaft, a gate for said car, and a control. for said car, of means to lock said door when closed, means to lock said gate when closed, locking means for said control, means operable only when the car is at a landing for the release of the locking means respectively for said door and gate, and means operable by said release means to apply said control locking means.

6. The combination with an elevator, including a shaft having landings, a door for each landing, a car operable in said shaft. a gate for said car, and a control for said car, of means to loclr said door when closed, means to lock said gate when closed, locking means for said control, means for the release of the locking means respectively for said door and gate, means operable by said release means to apply said control locking means, and means permitting said gate locking means to maintain the application of said control locking means after the door has been closed and until the gate has also been closed.

7. The combination with an elevator, including a shaft having landings, a door for each landing, a car operable in said shaft, a gate for said car, and a control for said car, of means to lock said door when closed, means to lock said gate when closed, locking means for said control, means operable only when the car is at a landing for the release of the locking means respectively for said door and gate, means operable by said r lease means to apply said control locking means, and means permitting said gate locking means to maintain the application of said control locking means after the door has been closed and until the gate has also been closed.

8. The combination with an elevator, in cluding ashatt having landings, a door for each landing, individual means to lock each door when closed, a car operable in said shaft, and a control for said car, of means for the release of individual door locking means, means operable by said release means, to apply said control locking means while the door is open, and other, separately releasable means for continuing the application of the control locking means when the door has been closed,

9. The combination with an elevator, in cluding a shaft having landings, a door for each landing, individual means to lock each door when closed, a car operable in said shaft, and a control for said car, of means operable only when the car is at a landing for the release of individual door locking means, means operable by said release means to apply said control locking means while the door is open, and other, separately releasable means for continuing the application of the control locking means when the door has been closed.

10. The combination, with an elevator, of a door having a fixed latch, a door locking member movable into and out of the path of said latch, to engage and release the latter, a car control, a lock for said control, means connecting said door locking member and control lock, whereby the movement of said member out of the path of said latch causes the actuation of said control lock, and gravity return means to engage said door locking member when released from said. latch and thus prevent the release of said control lock, said gravity return means lying in the path of said latch to be dis lodgeable thereby from its engagement with said door locking member in the movement of the door to its closed position.

11, In an elevator, in combination, a car, a control therefor, a slidable gate, a rod rockably mounted in saic. car, said rod having a spline, aportion of said gate having an orifice to receive said rod and a slot extension irom said orifice to admit said spline, link carried by said rod and having a. slot, a lock member for said control, a member carried by said lock member and having a pin loosely engaging said slot, means loosely engaging said lock member to operate the latter, a lover, a plunger, tensional means between said plunger and lock member engagingmeans whereby the operative movement of said plunger is communicated to said lock member for control locking purposes, the arrangement of said spline being such that it is unaligned with said slot tension, thereby locking the gate closed, and receives said spline when the rod is rocked to align the spline and slot extension, thereby enabling the gate to be opened, through the plunger movement to operate the control lock, said spline, in its rocked position, and with the gate opened, causing the control lock to remain effective while said gate remains open. V

12. A locking and lock releasing system for the doors of elevator shaft landings, and the car gate, comprising a latch on each door, a locking element on the shaft for each door to cooperate with said latch, a locking element on said car, a lock engaging element on said gate, the locking element for said gate being operable when said door and gate are closed, and means operable within the car to release the locking element for said gate when the car is at rest.

13. A locking and lock releasing system for the doors of elevator shaft landings, and the car gate, comprising a latch on each door, a locking element on the shaft for each door to cooperate with said latch, a locking element on said car, a lock engaging element on said gate, the locking elementfor said gate being operable when said door and gate are closed, and means operable within the car to release the locking element for said gate when the car is at rest at any point in its travel, but the look release means for the door being operable only when the car rests at a shaft landing.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county and State of New York, this 9th day of February A. D. 1921;

JACOB M. WHALBE. 

